Screened Porches with Retractable Screens

Screen porches are awesome for everything. I mean everything: reading books, naps, evening dinners, a play area for kids, hanging out next to the pool, you name it. I could spend all day outside in a screened-in porch environment; there’s something charming about it. Maybe it has a lake cottage feel to it and that takes me back to the good old days of summer vacations up to the “thumb” of Michigan. I thoroughly enjoyed the photo below of the lake porch, as it gives me that warm, summertime at the lake feeling.

Retractable screens have changed the screened porch game; I’d like to think of it as a way to have your cake and eat it too. As in, you can have your screens covering your porch, sealed off from bugs, shaded for comfort, and still be able to retract them for an open area and also protect your screens when they aren’t in use. Retractable screens offer that “room feel”, being somewhat confined without actually being inside four walls, but also have the ability to open up completely to be able to walk through and protect your screen. Stationary screens wear out more quickly from all the weathering and wind.

I have seen people get really creative with custom retractable screens because they can meet so many different applications with their spans, screen material, custom cutting, and color matching options. One home I visited had the back of their house facing a ravine of sorts with stone paths winding around their garden and water fountain, with their screened-in area under their 2nd story deck. They created a screened-in porch without having stationary screens sealing them inside. By using three PanoramaLite™ screens and two StowAway™ door screens, they were able to complete this room and have an outdoor area where they could watch TV, have their evening wine, or open the screens fully to host parties. When I asked Carol why she wanted retractable screens, she said she wanted to “be able to walk in and out” and “make a bigger space if I am having company over”.

Carol found a local dealer to measure her room for size, order the product, and return to install after just a couple of weeks since order placement. To create this room, she chose an off-white housing and rail color to match her surrounding woodwork. And she chose to motorize the PanoramaLite™ units with a multi-channel wall mountable pad (as seen in the photo).

It may not be a lake setting, but I find her retractable screen room just as charming and inviting, but more functional! To get your porch or patio sized up for retractable screens, find your nearest dealer with our dealer locator tool.

Motorized Patio Screens Being Lowered